Update: The amateurish video backs up our theory that this Yahoo-themed personal assistant app might not be the real deal, and as TechCrunch points out, even the Y! logo is incorrect.
That doesn’t change the fact that the crudely pieced together app demo puts forth likable features that Google Now and Siri cannot do at the moment.
Original article…
Yahoo is reportedly working on a new personal assistant app, and it may be more advanced than both Siri and Google Now.
The alleged Yahoo-themed voice-controlled app appears appears in a leaked video,
as discovered by Android Police, in which a man driving a car uses the app for navigation and messaging.
The unofficial, crude video illustrates that this app uses predictive information like Google Now, with a female voice “asking heading to the Office, right?” when the car turns on.
The computerized assistant also reports “Attention: traffic delayed by 17 minutes” along and updated estimated time of arrival and text that reads “Traffic: Heavy.”
Another feature Siri, Google Now can’t do One of the most impressive moments in this short video occurs when the unidentified demoer asks the alleged Yahoo app to send a text message regarding his lateness.
He initially asks the app to send a message saying “Running late will be there in 30 minutes,” but then changes his mind, saying, “change 30 minutes to 40 minutes.”
If this app really does boasts hands-free editing, it’ll be something we haven’t been able to get Siri or Google Now to do for us just yet.
SkyPhrase connection?
This may be why the Marissa Mayer company bought Skyphrase earlier this month.
Android Police reports that this app demo is “evidence” that Yahoo is using the natural language processing startup’s expertise to develop the voice-controlled personal assistant app.
We contacted Yahoo to see if the leaked video depicts a real product or not and if there’s any connection to SkyPhrase. We will update this story if we hear back.
* Read: Google Glass update brings apps like YouTube, Weather Alert into frame

The forthcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update may prove that 8.1 is Microsoft’s lucky number, as it’s reportedly adding a notification center and Siri personal assistant to its mobile devices.
The Windows Phone 8.1 notification center will be revealed through a swipe-from-the-top gesture, according to unnamed Microsoft sources cited by The Verge.
Quick settings can be accessed with a short swipe down, while the most recent notifications are listed with a longer swipe in the same direction.
This matches how the Android notification center works and it’s a combination of Apple’s iOS 7 notification center and command center.
‘Contra’ to band together a Siri clone Even faster than changing settings through the new notification center may be asking the Windows 8.1 personal assistant to do it for you.
Microsoft has been testing out its “Contra” technology for a number of months,
according to the same report, with the intention of launching a rival to Google Now and Apple’s Siri.
It’s said to be able to anticipate appointments and map out the time it’ll take you to get there according to data that it reads in a non-Scroogled way.
Other Windows 8.1 tweaks Windows Phone 8.1 is likely to have notification center and Siri-like voice interaction as its main highlights. But there are several other tweaks that should please Windows Phone owners.
The volume controls are said to be split into categories. A phone’s ringtone volume can be independent of its media playback volume, for example.
Bing Smart Search is expected to hit Windows Phone 8.1 in a Bing way, just like its bigger brother, Windows 8.1.
Enterprise users will also benefit from added VPN support, and everyone who enjoys music and video on small devices may be listening to songs and watching videos through Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps taken from Xbox One.
Windows 8.1 at Build 2014 Notification center, the personal assistant and the minor tweaks to Windows Phone 8.1 are said to be in internal beta testing right now.
Moving forward, Microsoft is reportedly working to unveil all of these new features at its Build 2014 Developer Conference.
That means Windows Phone users will have to wait until April 2014 to find out how their smartphones will get retooled and retiled with these much-needed features.
* Read: Windows Phone 8.1 to ape Android with new on-screen function buttons

The forthcoming Windows Phone 8.1 update may prove that 8.1 is Microsoft’s lucky number, as it’s reportedly adding a notification center and Siri personal assistant to its mobile devices.
The Windows Phone 8.1 notification center is to revealed through a swipe-from-the-top gesture, according to unnamed Microsoft sources cited by The Verge.
Quick settings can be accessed with a short swipe down, while the most recent notifications are listed with a longer swipe in the same direction.
This matches how which matches how the Android notification center works and it’s a combination of Apple’s iOS notification center and command center.
‘Contra’ to band together a Siri clone Even faster than changing setting through the new notification center may be asking the Windows 8.1 personal assistant to do it for you.
Microsoft has been testing out its “Contra” for a number of months, according to the same report, with the intention of launching a rival to Google Now and Apple’s Siri technology.
It’s said to be able to anticipate appointments and map out the time it’ll take you to get there, according to data that it reads in a non-Scroogled way.
Other Windows 8.1 tweaks Windows Phone 8.1 is likely to have notification center and Siri-like voice interaction as its main highlights. But there are several other tweaks that should please Windows Phone owners.
The volume controls are said to split into categories. A phone’s ringtone volume can be independent of its media playback volume, for example.
Bing Smart Search is expected to hit Windows Phone 8.1 in a Bing way, just like its bigger brother, Windows 8.1.
Enterprise users will also benefit from added VPN support, and everyone who enjoys music and video on small devices may be listening to songs and watching videos through Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps taken from Xbox One.